The Last Seven of Light
by Nyonah
Summary: Novangeline was destined to die on the battlefield but somehow ended up being the only survivor of the war. Why did the peace seem to be shattering before her eyes again and can she save Terra, even if it means losing herself in the process? Rated T for mature themes later on. KH: Birth By Sleep
1. A Chance Meeting

**_When you walk away  
You don't hear me say,  
"Please, oh baby, don't go."_**

In a world where time seems never to change, a young girl stood in the middle of a dusty battlefield taking in the massacre that took place. Panting, she began to walk on clumsy legs in the direction of a particular weapon that was glistening from the light of the moon. Thousands of weapons similar to this one were rooted in the dirt surrounding her.

When she reached the specific weapon, she softly touched the grip with her fingertips, sliding down the hilt and across the purple gem that was embedded along the handle. Lifting her face to the sky, her red eyes caught sight of a shooting star. Reaching her hand toward the sky, she made a wish and closed her eyes, praying with all her heart for it to come true.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the sky and fell to the dirt nearby. Curious, the young girl ran to the spot it fell to investigate. When she arrived at the spot, she saw it had the same shape as a star and went to pick it up. However, when her fingers touched it, the world enveloped in a bright yellow light and she disappeared along with the star shard.

* * *

 ** _In you and I there's a new land  
Angel's in flight _**

Coughing could be heard resonating throughout the small house that was perched on top of the hill outside of the nearest town. A young boy around the age of eight was lying on his small bed with the blankets up to his chin and a wet towel on his forehead. His caretaker stood in the room adjacent to his with a look of pure agony on his face, listening to what the doctor next to him was saying.

"Listen, the truth of the matter is this; Terra doesn't have much longer. His body is too weak to fight against the sickness that has taken ahold of him. I'm afraid there is nothing that can be done."

The doctor gripped Master Eraqus's shoulder tightly in a comforting gesture and then turned towards the front door and left; shattering any hope Eraqus had at saving Terra's life. He turned his head towards the door when he heard a vicious coughing fit come from Terra's small body. Quickly snapping himself out of his reprieve, Eraqus went to comfort Terra in an attempt to try and ease his own fears as well as the boy's.

* * *

 ** _My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah_**

A bright light appeared in front of Terra's bed and when it disappeared, there was a short, slender teenage girl about the age of eighteen looking around with curiosity on her face. Her long brown hair framed her face and accented her red eyes. The brown outfit she wore looked almost black in the darkness. Terra felt the wind blow from his lips as he gazed upon what appeared to be a hallucination, causing him to rub his eyes until he saw spots.

Finally, the intruder noticed the young boy lying in his bed and slowly come closer and noticed the redness of his cheeks and his puffy eyes. His brown hair hung low in his eyes, covering them mostly from her sight. A towel draped over his shoulders and she could visibly see his shoulders rise and fall with each breath he took.

"Who are you?" Terra asked the stranger inching closer to his bedside.

"My name is Novangeline, but you can call me Nova. What's your name?"

"My name is Terra."

Nova smiled and nodded, "Well, it's nice to meet you Terra."

In that moment, Nova realized that her wish came true. This young boy is the reason she was pulled from that wasteland of a world and brought here; to help him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I'm sick and the doctor says that there's nothing he can do." His face was a mask of pure acceptance as he stared at her.

Nova stood her ground and smirked at the young boy.

"Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm somewhat of an expert on curing illnesses. May I?" Nova moved closer and bent down to raise her hand over his chest, being polite. Terra nodded and she softly placed her palm over his lungs. Nova closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calling forth her healing power and felt a surge of relief when she felt her hand grow warm.

Terra stared at Nova briefly before he felt his chest heat up and glanced down to see her hand was glowing green before turning black.

"What's happening?" Terra squeaked in alarm.

Nova didn't reply, continuing to stay focused on her task.

After a moment, there was a sharp burst of dark energy that withdrew out of her palm, seemingly transferring into Terra and shocking them both. This surprising energy transfer knocked Nova across the room but fortunately, Terra was unharmed. His eyes were wide but his cheeks had more color in them than before.

"How do you feel?" she asked slowly.

Terra took a deep breath and for the first time in what felt like forever, he could finally take a deep breath without having an attack.

"I feel….better. I…how…did you..?" he stuttered, unsure of how she was able to take his coughing away.

"It's my gift. Don't worry, you should be all better now, but you will need your rest."

Nova rose to her full height and smiled before attempting to exit his room in a less than spectacular fashion when she tripped over his toy train.

Terra's eyes lit up and he began to laugh at her expense, causing Master Eraqus to wake up and run to the young boy's room. Nova panicked when she heard the older man call Terra's name. Her presence here would be difficult to explain so she attempted to find an escape to no avail. The door burst open beside her and Master Eraqus quickly runs to Terra's side with worry written across his face.

"Terra, is everything alright? I thought I heard another voice," he said, confusion causing his eyebrows to wrinkle together.

All the young boy did was smile, with tears in his eyes and pointed in Nova's direction. She was still sprawled across the floor with his toy train woven between her feet and other toys surrounding her.

"Who are you!? What is your purpose here?" Master Eraqus stood proud and glared at her with ire.

He lift his arm above him and flicked his wrist, successfully summing his keyblade from thin air. Grasping the hilt, he lowered the weapon and pointed it at Nova's chest. Nova stared at the blade, transfixed. This was the first time she had met another keyblade wielder in a very long time.

* * *

I'm sorry for the short chapter, I just felt this was a good section to break it off. I currently have about 75-80% of this story written (including a completely finished ending) but I have a few sections in the middle I'm trying to hash out to make the story flow. As you can see, some of the sections are choppy and I am so sorry about it, but I figure I'm going to go ahead and post this so it can motivate me to finish this before I actually start writing my book. This is my favorite story I've written or am currently writing so please, please review! Any/all feedback is encouraged and appreciated!

A/N: All bold are lyrics from the KH songs if you didn't pick up on that.


	2. History In The Making

**_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
It's hard to let it go_**

King Mickey stood next to Master Eraqus and Yen Sid on the raised platform in front of the stranger. Nova fiddled with the belt buckle she wore over her brown shorts, uneasy under the watchful eyes of these three imposing figures.

"My name is King Mickey. May I ask what your name is, young one?" King Mickey asked, smiling at the young girl and putting her at ease by his welcoming presence.

Nova kneeled, showing her respect to the king.

"My name is Novangeline, your majesty. I am the last Guardian of the World Order. It is an honor to meet you all.

King Mickey gave Master Eraqus and Yen Sid a fleeting glance and then motioned for Nova to stand.

"Novangeline, I-"

"Please, your majesty, call me Nova."

King Mickey nodded and proceeded. "Nova, I welcome you to the Land of Departure. My fellow comrades are Master Eraqus and Yen Sid." King Mickey motioned to the men to his left.

"Nova, when you mentioned you were a Guardian of the World Order, what did you mean?" Yen Sid inquired, curiosity written all over his face.

Nova blinked, unsure of the question.

"Um… Well, I was a soldier in the Keyblade War. There are… were seven keepers of light, aka Guardians, but I am the only survivor remaining." Nova looked down, forcing her tears to stay at bay.

King Mickey, Yen Sid, and Master Eraqus exchanged brief looks of bewilderment before returning their attention back to Nova.

"Nova, the Keyblade War has been over for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The legend of the war is mostly told as a bedtime story."

Nova stared at Yen Sid with wide eyes, unable to fully comprehend the true nature of his words.

"But I... I was just there. The only reason I ended up here was because I was wandering around the battlefield, trying to find my friends when a bright light fell from the sky! When I went to check it out, a light flashed and I somehow ended up in the room with Terra."

Her voice fell silent as she recalled the recent events leading up to her visit to Terra's room. Her eyes began glistening as reality sunk in. This time, it was Master Eraqus' turn to speak to the young woman.

"Nova, I understand this is a difficult thing to hear. However, if you would be up for it, there's a great many things we do not understand about the coming of the Keyblade War. We would be forever indebted to you if you could share with us your knowledge and wisdom."

Nova wiped away her tears and nodded with a firm determination. "Alright, I'll tell you everything I know about the war."

* * *

 ** _Where fears and lies melt away  
Music will tie_**

After what seemed like hours, Yen Sid finally dropped the quill on the parchment placed in front of him on his desk. King Mickey glanced at his former master with a look of concern written on his face.

"Yen Sid, are you alright?"

"Fear not, Mickey. I am just weary of the events of the war our dear friend has shared with us. I assure you it is just fatigue and nothing more," Yen Sid said with a small smile that just barely reached his eyes.

King Mickey nodded and turned his attention back to Nova. She was currently sitting in the chair opposite Yen Sid retelling the events of the war in her own words. After their conversation in the Training room on Master Eraqus' world, they decided it would be safer for this recap to be done at the Mysterious Tower.

"Thank you, Nova. I know this was all very hard since you lived all of this and experienced the suffering." King Mickey walked around and placed his hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay. I'm pleased to be able to help future generations know the true events of their history and how they came to pass."

Nova smiled, but as soon as King Mickey and Yen Sid began to have their own conversation regarding the newfound information, she let it slip away. Tuning them out, she let her thoughts wander back to the events that happened before she came to the Land of Departure. She missed her friends and she especially missed her older brother, Jiro. She remembers watching the unknown man before her slaughter her brother without a second thought. He was also a Guardian of the World Order but was killed early on when the fighting began and she wasn't the same for the rest of the battle.

Nova stood and cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but since we were able to come to this world, is it possible to go to other worlds as well?"

King Mickey and Yen Sid both nodded to the young woman at the same time and they saw a smile spread across her face.

"Then, would it be alright if I were to visit to a few of them? It was always a dream of mine and my brother's when we were young… but I figured I could still travel the worlds for him."

Yen Sid turned to King Mickey and nodded. "Nova, how did you come about traveling to the Land of Departure?"

Nova blinked, unsure of the question but then suddenly remembered what happened before she disappeared from the keyblade graveyard. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the star shard and held it up in front of her.

"When I was walking through the battlefield, I saw a shooting star in the sky and I made a wish. After I opened my eyes, the star fell from the sky and when I went to investigate it, I saw this in the ground. I touched it and ended up in Terra's bedroom."

"Ah, yes. That star shard is what transported you to his world. It will also allow you to travel to other worlds as well, but it can be a very tricky object that not just anyone can use. I would ask of you to remain here for a short while so that I may teach you how to better control your destinations, rather than you ending up warping all over the place."

Nova beamed and nodded vigorously. _I'll finally be able to make our dreams come true, Jiro,_ she thought to herself.


	3. A Whole New World

**_You're giving me too many things  
Lately, you're all I need._**

 _"_ _Nova, all of us of the Guardians of World Order have a special ability that we are born with. My ability is the use of fire and our master's ability is the use of wind. In your Mastery exam, we saw that you were born with a very special gift; the gift of healing. I have to warn you though; with the title of guardian and keyblade master, you have certain responsibilities that you must always adhere to."_

 _Jiro paced in front of Nova with his hands behind his back, trying his hardest to portray authority to his younger sister._

 _"_ _Every human is born with a little bit of darkness in their hearts, but from that darkness, our powers are manifested. In order to control your healing power, you have to harness this darkness and accept it as a part of you. If this doesn't happen, I'm afraid you might lose your gift and a part of yourself. You must not use this power until you have total control over it."_

 _Jiro sighed and pat Nova's shoulder softly._

 _"_ _One day, we will make duty take a back seat and you and I will go travel the worlds together."_

 _Nova smiled up at her brother only to have their thoughts interrupted by a sudden explosion rocking the castle walls. Jiro instantly broke into a sprint and Nova was hot on his heels. When they were clear of the castle, they saw who initiated the attack and summoned their keyblades, ready to protect their people and the light._

 _FLASH_

 _Nova was exchanging blows with a masked figure in front of her and he was slowly wearing her defenses down. A few yards away, her brother was going toe to toe with another adversary but she could see he was noticeably struggling. She attempted to run to her brother's side to help, but her assailant knocked her to her knees and diverted her attention back to him. Suddenly, a keyblade whizzed passed the both of them and when she looked to her right, she saw Jiro's body was pierced by the enemy's keyblade._

 _"_ _NOOO!"_

 _Nova screamed when she saw her brother's body drop to the ground. She watched the keyblade pull free of his chest and his blood splattered the ground beneath him. When his body hit the ground, Nova attacked her opponent with a fury, attempting to reach Jiro before it was too late. With victory finally hers, she hastily ran to Jiro to save him. However, when she reached him, his eyes were already closed and he was no longer breathing. Nova held her hand over his heart to try healing him but when nothing happened, her entire world began to crumble beneath her feet._

Nova woke up with a start, sweat pouring down her face. It had been a while since the last time she dreamed of the keyblade war and even longer since she thought of Jiro's death. As Nova made her way to the bathroom with shaky legs, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and steadily tried to catch her breath. Splashing the cold water on her face, she gasped as it was enough to lift the veil of the nightmare temporarily. Not quite understanding why she had the dream, she decided to push it out of her mind and return to bed.

As she was walking back down the hallway, a glimmer outside the window caught her attention. When she went to see what it was, she noticed the hundreds of thousands of stars staring back at her, twinkling as if to say hello. With a smile and newfound resolve, Nova returned to her room to get more sleep. Since her journey began tomorrow, she was going to need all the rest she could get.

* * *

 ** _What's left of me what's left of me now_**

Time passed by quickly for Nova as she jumped from world to world. Before she knew it, the span of eight years had passed by and for a while, the new sights she saw were enough to take her mind off the fact that she was now completely alone in the universe. However, that didn't stop her from enjoying her voyages. She had seen a large coliseum that glittered like gold, a strange place called Halloween town, and even saw a large city that lit up the night sky like stars with the largest clock tower she had ever seen.

In the beginning, she would visit worlds for any length of time; weeks or even months. However, after seeing over a hundred different worlds, she found herself beginning to feel desolate. This began her search for a way to fill the void in her heart so her visits were drastically cut down to days or even a few hours. When she finally decided to leave the large castle she was currently residing in, she chose to make a wish with her star shard and ask it to take her to a place she could possibly find a friend. In no time at all, she was gliding amongst the stars again on the way to a new yet very familiar world.

* * *

 ** _I watch you fast asleep  
All I fear means nothing_**

CLANK CLANK

The sound of keyblades connecting was the only sound that could be heard in the training yard. Terra and Aqua were practicing with their keyblades, trying to hone their skills so they could pass their Mark of Mastery exam in the upcoming years.

"Come on, Aqua. Let's go check on Ven and see if he's woken up yet. "

Aqua relaxed her stance and withdrew her keyblade, nodding to Terra. She wiped her sweaty forehead on her arm and started following him up the stairs into the Grand Hall. Before the two could climb the steps, the sky opened up and a shooting star came hurtling towards the middle of the training yard. A bright light engulfed the area for a few seconds before it diminished enough so that the two teenagers could make out the cause of this strange occurrence. Standing before them was a young woman with a brown jumper on and brown hair, her keyblade disappearing from her hand as soon as the light was gone.

"Huh, I think I've been here before," Nova mused to herself, looking around and not noticing the pair of teens staring at her with wide eyes.

"Nova?" Terra whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the woman who saved his life almost a decade ago.

Nova turned towards the stairs and noticed Terra and Aqua staring at her. At first she was confused how he knew her, but suddenly recognition hit and she was smiling ear to ear.

"Terra!" Nova yelled, running up to the teens on the stairs and wrapping her arms around Terra in a hug.

Terra hugged Nova to his chest as a faint blush crossed his cheeks. Aqua looked between the two, curious who the stranger was and decided to make her presence known.

"Ahem."

Terra snapped out of his thoughts as soon as he heard Aqua clear her throat and pulled away from Nova.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Nova, this is Aqua. Aqua, this is Nova. I told you about how I was sick as a child, right? Well, Nova is actually who healed me," Terra informed Aqua, catching her up to speed on the newcomer.

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you Nova. Terra, I'll talk to you later. I'm going to go check on Ventus."

"Nice to meet you, too," Nova replied and smiled as Aqua walked into the building at the top of the stairs. Terra could only stare at Nova, unbelieving she was actually in front of him.

"So, where have you been all this time? I thought I made you up in my delirium," Terra asked, chuckling at his own joke.

Nova smiled, noticing the way his eyes were so full of life like they were when he laughed at her falling over the toy trainset.

"I've been traveling for the past few years; living a lifelong dream of mine," she said, never taking her eyes off the man who stood before her.

Terra's gaze was transfixed on her as well. _Was she always this beautiful?_

"Welcome back, then. Would you like for me to show you around since I don't think you got a tour the last time you were here?"

Nova closed some of the gap between them and grabbed his arm.

"I'm glad you asked," she responded, blushing slightly from the contact.

* * *

A/N: I have a terrible time writing "fluff" (or what I deem to be fluff) in my stories so that's why the transition from Nova traveling to worlds and back to Terra's world is so abrupt and I'm sorry for that! Also, I'll be happy to answer any questions people may have about things in this story that don't make sense. I have a lot of content in here that I have spent hours trying to research and figure a way to write it into the story but not all of it may be properly portrayed. Please review and let me know what you think!


	4. New Adventures

**_You smiled at me and said,  
"Don't get me wrong, I love you,  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?"_**

"And, here we are, back at the training yard where you arrived."

Terra and Nova spent hours walking and their conversation was light and friendly. Both of them knew it was getting late, but neither wanted to part from each other for the night, feeling very comfortable in each other's presence.

"So, do you plan on staying in this world for a while?" Terra asked, anxious she would be leaving sooner than he would like.

Nova took a moment to think of her answer and finally pulled away and sat on the bench nearby with Terra following closely. Sighing, she turned to look at Terra and finally responded.

"I've been traveling for a while now so I think I could stay here for a while. Besides, it looks as though you and Aqua could benefit from having another person help with your Mark of Mastery exam. It may be different now than when I took the exam, but it can't hurt, right?"

Nova elbowed Terra in his ribs and he chuckled.

"Yeah, Master Eraqus has been busy trying to train both of us and he even took on training Ven, too. I'm sure he remembers you and will be okay with you staying here."

Nova tore away from Terra's penetrating gaze to look up at the stars, biting her lip in contemplation.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I left quite an impression on him with your toy trainset wrapped around my feet."

"So, you'll stay?" Terra pressed, not paying attention to her joke.

He stared at Nova's profile, hopeful of her answer.

"I _am_ a little rusty with my keyblade…"

Nova smiled at Terra and he beamed from ear to ear. Standing up, both of them decided to go inside and find Ventus and Aqua. As they both walked into the foyer, they noticed Aqua helping Ventus with his keyblade techniques.

"Don't worry, Ven. You just have to work on your stance, that's all."

Ventus nodded his head and shifted his feet a little to match hers before Terra distracted them both from Aqua's instruction.

"How's it going, you two?"

Aqua and Ventus both turned to Terra and noticed the brunette to his side. Aqua, having already been introduced, waved and greeted Nova once again. When Ventus neared, Nova stuck her hand out and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Nova. It's nice to meet you, Ventus."

Ventus glanced at Terra and Aqua uncertainly but putting his wariness aside, he extended his hand to grasp Nova's.

With a small smile, he nodded and said, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Well, since it looks like the two of you are training. I won't hold you up any more than I already have, so once again it was nice to meet you and have a good night." Nova said with a smile stretching across her face.

"I'll walk with you, Nova," Terra quickly said before she could run off.

Nova turned to him and said, "It's alright, Terra. I am going to go find Master Eraqus and let him know I'm here. It's been a while since I last saw him so I want to go catch up. Thanks for the tour earlier."

With a smile and a wave, Nova sprinted from the foyer as Terra's eyes followed her until she was out of sight. With a disappointed sigh, he turned back to his friends and decided to put in a little training with them before crashing for the night.

* * *

 ** _In you and I there's a new land  
Angels in flight _**

When Nova came to Master Eraqus' office, she took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door before opening it slowly. When she entered, she noticed he was sitting beneath the large floor to ceiling windows and even had one of them opened to let some fresh air into the room. She noticed his arched form sitting on the bench beneath the entire length of those tall windows. He seemed to be studying something with intense concentration because he never even looked her way, most likely not even hearing her knock earlier.

"Master Eraqus, it is good to see you again."

Master Eraqus quickly looked up from his chess board to find Nova smiling back at him, standing near the rotating sphere in the middle of his office.

"Well, if it isn't Nova. How did your traveling go?"

Nova's eyes shifted from his to take in the large office that had hardly changed from when she was here briefly the last time, before they were teleported to Yen Sid's tower. Off to her right, she saw a calendar hanging on the wall with a few dates circled in red. However on closer inspection, she noticed it was a few months behind and took a mental note of the year.

"I traveled to hundreds of worlds and experienced many things. Eventually, I found myself growing lonely so, instead of just traversing the stars like King Mickey taught me to do, I closed my eyes and let my heart guide my way. I arrived here a few hours ago, but I met Terra and he gave me a tour."

Master Eraqus was standing at this point and nodded with his hands clasped behind his back. "It has been around eight years or so since you left, hasn't it?"

Nova glanced back to the calendar briefly but focused her gaze on the man before her again.

"Yeah, I believe so. When I'm traveling, time seems to be a little different on each world but I see the date on the calendar and I'd say it's been roughly that long," Nova stated while pointing to her right at the wall.

Master Eraqus briefly glanced at the calendar but grimaced when he noticed the wrong month was displayed and turned back to Nova.

"Well, as you can see, I've been a little busy I can't even keep up with the date myself," he chuckled before continuing. "Since I started teaching Ventus with Terra and Aqua, I've had less time to keep up on trivial things like that."

Nova nodded and relaxed her stance.

"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. I was wondering if I could stay here for a while since I'm a little tired of constantly traveling. I figured that since I'm also a keyblade master, I could help train them to help lighten your work duties as a tradeoff."

Master Eraqus stared at Nova, saw her look of determination and nodded hastily. He could feel the power she possessed and knew that it would be a good idea to try and spread out his training with his three pupils a bit. Besides, he also knew that Nova was lonely and this would give her a good chance to make some friends.

"I would appreciate your help, Nova. We can start discussing their training tomorrow so let me show you to a room you can stay in."

Nova nodded and followed him out of his office to her new room, ready to start her new responsibilities.


	5. Looking Closer

**_My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah_**

After a very grueling and intense training week, the group of four friends decided to take a day off and go to visit the waterfall that was only a short walk from their home. The sun was shining beautifully and they all knew this would be a very welcomed and much needed break from their training. Terra and Ventus decided on wearing a pair of shorts for the day but Nova, who was currently sporting a cute white one piece suit, was able to convince Aqua to wear a black one piece swimsuit.

Aqua and Ventus decided to spend a good portion of their day just sitting on the sand, enjoying the relaxing sun while Terra spent a better part of his day just hovering around Nova as they went from swimming to sunbathing. His eyes followed her everywhere because he found her swimsuit too enticing to look away. It successfully showed off her long legs and even did wonders for her curves.

After a few hours, Nova suggested a friendly chicken fight in the body of water at the bottom of the waterfall and Terra eagerly agreed, volunteering instantly to be her teammate.

"All right, so I guess we're going to fight Ven and Aqua," Nova said, motioning to herself and Terra.

Aqua and Ventus nodded before racing into the water.

"Hey Aqua, do you mind if I go first? We can swap after one of our teams loses," Ventus asked.

"Oh, sure, that's fine with me," she replied before diving under the water to lift Ventus on her shoulders.

Nova smiled at her friends in the water and turned to ask Terra if it was alright that she goes first since it seemed an impossible task for her to lift him on her shoulders. Before she could even finish the question, Terra had already taken hold of her hips and lifts her over his head onto his shoulders as if she weighed as much as a pillow full of feathers. He swiftly starts walking to the water while Nova could feel the blood rushing to her face, coating her cheeks in a crimson color that would rival anyone who stayed out in the sun too long.

The first game of chicken was won by Ventus and Aqua since Nova still hadn't gotten her bearings but she quickly recovered and climbed back onto Terra's shoulders. As the games continued, the teams switched up a little with Aqua on Ventus' shoulders or the complete swap with Aqua and Terra against Nova and Ventus. As they entered their last game, Nova held Aqua on her shoulders to go against Ventus and Terra to end their tied team score of 5-5.

With fatigue hitting Nova quicker than Terra, she decided to resort to unfair tactics and splashed water in his face to distract him, hoping he'd possibly lose his grip on Ventus. Aqua, having a slight advantage over Ventus with his distracted partner, pushed him with all her might and was successfully able to get him to fall from Terra's shoulders, making Nova and Aqua the winners.

"Whoohoo! We won, Aqua!" Nova celebrated by high fiving Aqua before she moved off her shoulders.

"Yeah, I guess we did. It was probably because you were able to distract Terra."

"Yeah, I guess she was afraid of losing to us, huh?" Terra teased the brunette as they all exited the water.

"All right, it's lunch time!" Ventus yelled before quickly running over to the baskets of food to start his delayed lunch without the rest of them, causing a quick chuckle to breakout amongst the older teens.

When lunch was over, Aqua decided to head back home to retire to her room for a short nap and Ventus opted to join her to carry the baskets, stating he might try to nap for a bit as well. Nova decided to spend some more time swimming and Terra was more than happy to stay with her. After a few more laps around the water, Nova decided to get out and lay around to sunbathe for a while and spread her towel next to Terra's.

"So, how long have you known Aqua and Ventus?" Nova asked when she was lying on her back with her arm draped across her eyes to hide the sun.

"Hmm, I've known Aqua the longest. Not long after you came the first time, she moved in and just fell right into the training regimen with me. Master Xehanort brought Ventus here about a year before you came back and he was in sort of a catatonic state for a few weeks."

Terra glanced over at Nova and noticed her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out.

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" He asked rhetorically as he chuckled to himself.

Terra gathered his towel and threw it over his shoulder as knelt by Nova's side. He lightly moved her arm from her face and when he did, the sunlight caused her to stir but she remained asleep. Terra put his arms under her back and legs to lift her off the towel and quickly threw that over his shoulder with his before he picked her up again to carry her home and out of the blistering sun.

It didn't take Terra long to walk back home while carrying Nova; if anything he attempted to prolong it just to keep her in his arms. At some point on the walk home she nuzzled into his chest and when the coolness of her breath grazed over his skin, he felt himself shiver. Finally, Terra arrived at home and slowly climbed the stairs to her room to put her in her bed. When he lowered her body on the bed, he hovered over her for a few moments, mesmerized by her beauty.

"I really like you," he whispered before his lips softly grazed hers.

When he opened his eyes, he saw she was still asleep so he decided to pull a cover over her body so she wouldn't get cold and left the room as quietly as he could.

"Sweet dreams, Nova."

* * *

 ** _When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said,  
"No, I don't think life is quite that simple"_**

It had been a few weeks since their beach break and the sun was starting to set as Nova and Terra were wrapping up their daily training session with their friendly competition match. Since their relationship had yet to progress any further than Terra's secret kiss with Nova, he decided to try and speed things along.

"How about we make this match interesting, Nova?"

Nova blinked at Terra in confusion. "Um, what do you mean 'interesting'?"

"If I'm able to disarm you in this match, you have to do me a favor."

Nova scoffed.

"Oh, is that so? Well, what if I disarm you?"

Terra shrugged. "If you can, I will owe you a favor."

Nova could only shake her head in amusement. She was a keyblade master; could Terra really be that confident that he would easily be able to disarm her in a match? Granted, he was a very skilled student, but she was still unsure where this sudden burst of arrogance came from.

"Well, you asked for it. I won't go easy on you."

Terra smirked. "I never thought you would."

With that, their match commenced. For most of the time, they seemed evenly matched; neither keyblade wielder could gain the upper hand on their opponent and if they did, it wasn't for long. However, halfway through the match, Terra seemed to be exerting a little more energy than Nova.

"Had enough yet, Terra?"

Terra's face fell a little at the taunt, causing him to throw himself more into his swings. Finally, after a few minutes, he could see Nova begin to tire herself out while being on the defensive against his brutal onslaught of attacks. Just when Nova felt she had gained the upper hand and was about to disarm Terra, he ducked beneath her attack and swung his leg around, catching both of hers and throwing her body to the ground. Terra jumped up quicker than she could and hit her keyblade hand, successfully knocking it across the field before it disappeared.

Both teenagers just stared at each other, sweat running down their faces, panting for air. Nova finally stood up and began to brush the dirt off of her clothes, surprise clearly written all over her face.

"Well, that was-"

She was cut off as Terra cupped her cheeks and his soft lips crashed against hers. For a moment, Nova couldn't breathe; much less think about what was happening. Eventually, she gave in to the kiss and gripped his skin-tight shirt with her hands, letting her desire gain the upper hand. Terra finally pulled away and stared into her face, noticing her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were still closed trying to savor the feel of his lips on hers. When she finally did open her eyes, she could only stutter her question.

"So, uh, w-what is your, um, f-favor?

Terra chuckled and leaned closer to her and while his hand still cupped her cheek, he whispered into her ear, "That was my favor, beautiful."

Nova's cheeks lit up an even deeper shade of red and she dipped her head in embarrassment. She never thought Terra's feelings were romantic for her, but now that she knew, she felt silly for not acknowledging them sooner.

"Terra I-"

She was cut off when Terra put his thumb on her lips to shush her.

"Don't. I know you may not feel the same way but I just wanted you to know how I felt. I've had a crush on you since you first stumbled over my toy trainset."

Terra smiled at her with that boyish lopsided grin that she noticed he only seemed to share with her. Truth be told, Nova had noticed when she came back to Land of Departure that she was slowly developing feelings for him but thought he wouldn't be able to reciprocate. She pulled his hand away from her lips but held on and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I like you, too, Terra."

Terra's face lit up like a little boy's and he closed the gap in-between them and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her into the air as he whooped and hollered his elation. Both of them began laughing at his jubilance and eventually, Terra lowered her to the ground somewhat breathless and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Noticing that the sun had finally set and their only light was the stars, Nova grasped Terra's hand and began walking inside.

"It's been quite an eventful day. We should go get some rest," she declared.

Terra nodded his agreement but couldn't shake the satisfied smile he wore, even when he dreamt of her that night.

* * *

Li

This is a little longer of a chapter than normal but I found myself unable to break these two sections apart since it develops their relationship. I've come across another hole in my story that I have to fill in so this will be the last chapter for a few days until I can finish this next part. Good news is, once this next part is written, I can post the rest of the story and it'll be complete.


	6. A Touch of Destiny

**_Where fears and lies melt away  
Music will tie_**

 _Time stood frozen. The stars were falling to the ground, resembling tears pouring from the night's sky. Terra gazed around at the endless wasteland before him through clouded eyes. Only one thing stood in contrast against the black of the night; a sole keyblade. He ran for what felt like hours until finally arriving before the weapon lodged in the dirt. The keyblade hilt protruded from a lion's head that was embellished with dark, blue eyes that seemed to stare into Terra's soul. His gaze began to travel the length of the blade and when his eyes rested on the lone eye that resembled a snake, he felt his entire body become immobile._

 _Terra tried to speak, but found his voice failed him and his limbs were frozen to their spot. When he strained to look around, he noticed the keyblade disappeared from the dirt only to rematerialize in his right hand. As blood appeared on the ground beneath his feet, he felt himself moving forward, inching closer to the body lying in the center of the sticky, crimson liquid. When his gaze fell upon the lifeless face of the fallen victim, Terra's mind screamed._

 _Before he could react, he lifted the keyblade in his hand and stared into the eye. Suddenly, his mind shifted and the only thing he could see was his reflection staring back at him. What scared him the most wasn't the sinister smile plastered on his lips; it was his evil yellow eyes and stark white hair._

Terra bolted upright in his bed the instant an evil grin spread across his face in the reflection from the dream. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the sweat glistening on his chest. His furiously pumping heartbeat could be heard as loud as a beating drum within the small room; or maybe that was just how loud it seemed inside his mind. Without a second thought, he threw the covers aside and was out of his bedroom flying down the hallway to ascend the stairs. Climbing the steps two at a time, he reached Nova's room in record speed and burst through to find her sitting up in bed.

"Terra, what's wrong?"

Nova's eyes grew wide as she noticed his ragged breath and the way his knuckles were white from his clenched fists. Terra's form lunged forward and before she knew it, strong, albeit sweaty arms, circled her waist and practically crushed her ribs.

"Nova, thank god you're alright. My dream…"

Nova stroked his hair and tried to soothe his worries. "Calm down, Terra, it'll be alright. Whatever it was, it's over now. It was only a dream."

Nova stroked his unruly hair softly and smiled as she felt his breathing slow down to its normal rhythm. After a few more moments in her arms, Terra finally lift himself from her lap and gazed into her adoring crimson eyes. His lips slowly inched towards Nova's until they met in a desperate kiss that filled her to the brim with the passion and love he felt for her.

"I need to know you're real, Nova." Terra whispered, before kissing her again.

Slowly, he lowered her body with his own until they were both lying on her bed. Terra made sure to touch every part of her body that night to ensure with his own hands that she was indeed real.

* * *

 ** _What's left of me what's left of me_**

Nova and her three friends went to watch the meteor shower together so as they were heading down to the clearing, Nova decided to stand back and watch the three of them enjoy their playful banter. When she looked up into the sky, she noticed the start of the meteor shower and smiled to herself, recalling her old friends and her dearly departed brother.

A few more stars shoot across the sky and Nova places her hand on her stomach, feeling a soft warm power beneath her fingertips. She softly smiled to herself and closed her eyes, rubbing her stomach in small circles. With a soft sigh, she walks over and joins her friends as they all enjoy the meteor shower together.

As they were heading inside to get some sleep for the big day tomorrow, Nova pulls Terra aside so that she can speak to him privately.

"Terra, I just wanted to let you know that I am very proud of you and I wanted to wish you luck tomorrow with the exam."

Terra smiled at Nova, pulling her into his embrace while kissing her forehead.

"I don't need luck when I have you there. You know I…I love you, Nova."

Nova stared deep into Terra's eyes, noticing the slight blush to his cheeks and after a few moments, she smiled.

"I love you too, Terra."

Nova leaned up and gave Terra a soft kiss full of love. She smiled softly, grabbed his hand and together they walked back into the building. She didn't know it then, but that would be the last night they ever spent beneath the same stars.

Morning came quickly and Nova found herself waking before Terra did. She gazed at him lovingly as she slowly lifted her body out from beneath the covers. With tentative fingers, Nova softly strokes Terra's cheek and then kisses his temple lightly. He stirred for a moment but quickly rolled over and continued sleeping. Softly closing the door behind her as she left the room, she made her way outside to the training yard.

As she got to the clearing, she lifted her hand up into the sky and closed her eyes. The star shard in her hand began to glow brightly and she disappeared. When she reappeared, she was standing in front of the Mysterious tower. Finally, she was able to work up the courage to walk through the door and begin the trek up the winding staircase.

"Nova, welcome back to my tower. It has been a while."

Nova smiled at Yen Sid and bowed politely before him.

"I felt the birth of a new star. Tell me what I have to do to change the future back to what it should be."

* * *

 ** _The daily things that keep us all busy  
Are confusing me_**

The sun was shining through the stained glass window so that the room was illuminated in the natural light. Terra and Aqua stood at attention in the center of the floor while Ventus stood to the side so that he could observe the exam. Master Eraqus was accompanied by Master Xehanort, a friend of his that brought Ventus into his care a few years back.

Terra glanced around, curious as to where Nova disappeared to. When he woke up earlier that morning, he noticed she had awakened before him but thought that maybe she was just taking a walk and would meet up with him before the examination would start.

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. No one but-"

Terra begins to tune out his master as he really tries to wrack his brain to figure out where Nova is.

"…..youngest prospects in years. I trust you are ready."

As Master Eraqus finished his speech, Terra finally brought his thoughts back to the situation at hand and willed himself to focus.

"Yes," Aqua and Terra replied in unison.

"Then let the examination begin."

The long awaited mastery exam began but was quickly concluded after a few minutes. Terra looked around and realized Nova still hadn't shown up so at this point, his curiosity was quickly turning to worry.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision."

Terra brought his focus back to Master Eraqus once again.

"Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery."

Terra felt his heart stop as he heard the words that his mind was failing to process.

"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there is always next time. That is all."

After Master Eraqus' dismissal, Terra looked down in defeat, not listening to the new orders he was giving Aqua while he was still present. When he looked up, he saw that Master Xehanort and Master Eraqus began to walk off the platform. When they were walking out, both Aqua and Ventus ran over to try and console Terra but he was lost in thought.

"The darkness… Where did it come from?" _And where is Nova?_


	7. New Hope

**_My heart's a battleground_**

 _9 MONTHS LATER_

After months of staying at Yen Sid's tower, Nova missed Terra immensely. However, she knew from the constant communication between the wizard and King Mickey that trouble was brewing and that Terra was right in the thick of things. She thought back to the reason why she had come back to this tower in the first place.

FLASHBACK

 _"_ _Nova, can I speak to you privately before you leave?" Yen Sid inquired, motioning behind him towards his office._

 _Nova glanced behind her at the wizard before nodding swiftly. She quickly followed Yen Sid through his door and shut it behind her._

 _"Well, I know you want to be on your way, I just needed to speak with you concerning a private matter before you left."_

 _Nova nodded, willing herself not to show her nervousness to the man in front of her._

 _"I recently felt a disturbance in the light and darkness that left me feeling uneasy. When I consulted with the stars, I found out that there is someone disrupting the peace. This may seem like a cruel twist of fate, but you are involved and I need your help."_

 _Nova's mouth opened in shock but she wasn't able to speak. Before she could, Yen Sid continued._

 _"The quick version is this; there is a threat going around to different time periods to change the future. One day in the near future, I'm going to need you to come back to my tower when you feel the birth of a new star."_

 _Nova shook her head in confusion, "What do you mean, 'birth of a new star'?"_

 _Yen Sid quickly touched her shoulder and smiled._

 _"When you feel it, you will know. This might be the only way to keep him from harming the new star."_

With a quick shake of her head, Nova snapped her thoughts back to the present as Yen Sid strolled up beside her. Holding a tiny bundle in her arms, she wrapped the cloth tighter around it so as not to get cold.

"Are you sure about this, Nova?" Yen Sid questioned the young woman in front of him, unsure if this was the right choice.

"Yes, I have to take him someplace safe. Terra needs my help and I'm going to make sure I protect them both."

Yen Sid nodded. "Just remember what I told you and be careful. Terra may not be as you remember him. His destiny has changed course and he is different than before."

"I'll remember. Thank you for everything, Yen Sid."

Nova softly closed the door behind her and walked down the steps of the tower. When she opened the door at the bottom, she looked into the sky. The stars were shining extra brightly tonight, almost as if there was some secret the universe was trying to tell her. Clutching the bundle extra close to her chest, she lifted the star shard into the air.

"Star shard, grant me this wish. Please take me somewhere I can find a place for him to stay safe."

A bright white light softly whisked them away to an unknown world. With her eyes closed, Nova took in her surroundings by listening to the crashing of ocean waves against the beach. Smiling, she opened her eyes to see a beautiful sunrise off on the horizon. When she looked around she saw a couple sitting on a leaning tree and slowly made her way closer to them. They were so engrossed in the sunset that they didn't notice Nova until she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Hello, my name is Novangeline."

The couple smiled at Nova and stood up to greet her when they noticed the bundle in her arms.

"I heard your wish and I know that you both want to have a child but are unable to do so. I've come to ask if you could take care of my son for me while I go save his father. I just want to be sure he will be in good hands since I'm not sure when I'll be back."

The young woman looked at the man to her left and they both nodded, their smiles reaching up to their shining eyes.

"He will be safe with us, we promise," the man before her ensured.

Nova nodded, her heart fluttering as she was about to give up her son for who knows how long.

"Just know there is an evil out there trying to manipulate time and it might be after him. Always keep a watchful eye on him," she warned, handing him over to the young woman.

Nova opened the blanket to look into the blue eyes of the baby as the woman held him, "I'll be back with your father as soon as I can little one. Until then, be good and know that I love you, my little Sora."

With that, she lifted the star shard once again and in a bright flash of light, she was gone. Sora was now left in the care of the young couple on the island four years in the past.

* * *

 ** _You show me how to see  
That nothing is whole and nothing is broken_**

For what seemed like forever, Terra traversed the wide expansive space in-between worlds, pondering the recent happenings with Xehanort and his friends. Although it wasn't in the front of his mind, he never forgot about Nova's disappearance. As he continued along, he was suddenly welcomed by a warm and bright light that seemed to beckon him to come closer.

"This light… it's so warm."

In somewhat of a daze, Terra lowers his ship and lands on the dusty sands of the beach that is currently the witness of a spectacular sunset. His focus on the view was briefly broken when he noticed something floating in the water at his feet. When he picked up the star shaped fruit, he was reminded of the time Aqua gave all of them their wayfinders.

 _"_ _Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…"_

Scanning the beach, he found the source of the fruit on top of an island separate from the mainland. Noticing the shed to his left, he quickly walked over to find the steps that led him where he wanted to go. With his mind filled with thoughts of his far-away friends, he clutched the wayfinder in his grip, almost welcoming the pain from the star tips piercing the palm of his hand. He slowly started to cross the wooden bridge and was about halfway across when two small boys started shouting and ran right past him.

"Giving up already? Come on, Sora."

Once they both passed Terra on the bridge, they continued onto the island and hopped up on the sideways tree to take a break after their race. Terra was about to turn back around to let them have their fun when he noticed a spectacular light shining from both of the boys.

"Light… Was I guided here to meet those boys?"

His gaze lingered on the brunette child a little longer as he felt a familiar energy radiate from him, but Terra was unable to place the origin. Shaking his head, Terra cleared his mind and traversed back the way he came, once again reaching the sandy beach he landed on moments before. As he gazed out into the vast ocean and took in the warm sunlight that heated his skin, he found himself lost in thought. Quickly shaking himself from his thoughts, he heard scuffling of tiny feet and turned to notice Riku, the small silver-haired child from earlier, walking behind him.

"Hey. Did you come here from the outside world?"

The question shook him completely from his thoughts and startled him how this young boy could be so observant.

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

As Riku answered, Terra heard how with each word he spoke, there was a level of maturity that he wouldn't have guessed a boy his age would have. When he mentioned how he wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone, Terra felt his faint smile fall from his lips.

"It must be hard being stuck in one place."

As Riku begrudgingly kicked the sand, he mentioned how he heard there was a kid who left before. When he walked to the shore, Terra thought he saw the child change into a grown man with silver hair matching his with a black outfit on. When he blinked a few times, the man changed to a different one with silver hair sporting a white vest. When he turned his blue green eyes on Terra, he tried blinking a few more times and when Riku spoke again, he was back to normal.

After talking with him a few more minutes, Terra realized that this child reminded him a lot of himself and his need to protect his friends. He strode the few steps between them and summoned his keyblade.

As he kneeled before Riku, he said, "In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall one day be."

Each word Terra spoke resonated with Riku and when he grabbed the blade, he wasn't sure what to expect, but when nothing happened he didn't have time to think on it.

"Riku! C'mon, hurry it up!"

Riku turned to his friend and waved while Terra put his keyblade away. As he looked at the young boy in the distance, he felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. Gasping, Terra quickly grabbed Riku's attention.

"You gotta keep this a secret, okay? Otherwise all the magic will wear off."

Riku nodded with a smile and ran to his friend, leaving Terra still kneeling on the sand. As he glanced back at the other boy, he reached his hand up to clutch his chest in an attempt to ease the pain. Furrowing his brows, Terra couldn't for the life of him figure out why that boy reminded him so much of Nova.


	8. Light and Darkness

**_That's when you came to me and said,  
"Wish I could prove I love you,  
But does that mean I have to walk on water?"_**

Nova arrived at the Keyblade Graveyard with her head hung low. Returning to this place was the last thing she wanted to do, but she knew she had to find Terra. She arrived on a cliff overhead of the battle ground and spied Terra, Ventus, and Aqua gathering amidst the long forgotten keyblades. With grace, she leaped from the cliff and began the long trek to meet with her friends.

However, when she got closer she noticed they were no longer alone. Before she could even think, Terra had already rushed to attack Xehanort and Vanitas. Her heart sank in her chest when Terra was uprooted by the cliff Xehanort summoned and ran full sprint to save her friends and her love. When she got closer, Nova arrived in time to see Aqua fall after a brutal onslaught of keyblades attacking her but she was still able to shoot a shield to help save Terra.

As she watched him fall from the shield, Nova felt the air whoosh out of her lungs in a shaky breath. She knew what awaited him on top of that cliff and she lifted her hand in the air and summoned her keyblade.

Suddenly, Ventus appeared and attempted to finish Xehanort but was unsuccessful.

"VENTUS," Nova screamed, tears threatening to fall down her face. She didn't want to think about having to watch more friends perish at the hands of darkness.

As soon as Terra was attacked with keyblades, Xehanort used his dark powers to freeze Ventus and threw him from the cliff. Nova suddenly felt very lost and useless, being unable to stop the events from happening; history just seemed to be repeating itself.

Ventus fell from the cliff and Nova heard the rock breaking away every time his frozen body hit the mountain side. Luckily, Aqua was there to break his fall. Nova's relief was cut short, however, when she saw Xehanort summon Kingdom Hearts in the sky.

"No, this can't be happening," Nova released an anguished filled scream and only then did Aqua turn and notice she was there.

"Nova!"

She took off running in Aqua and Ventus's direction when she heard her name being called.

"Nova, can you help Ventus? I think he got hurt from the fall."

Nova kneeled beside Aqua and nodded, "Yes …I-I should be able to."

Placing her hand above his chest in the same manner she did with Terra all those years ago, she closed her eyes in concentration, focusing on willing her body to heal Ventus. After a few moments and shaky breaths, Nova opened her eyes to see it didn't work. _Why didn't I heal him? Was it- Oh no….. It can't be…Terra!_

"Nova? How come nothing happened?" Aqua asked; worry creasing her brow and snapping Nova out of her thoughts.

Nova glanced at Aqua and felt tears drip down her chin.

"I know why Terra struggles to control the darkness," she whispered.

Aqua's frown only deepened. "What do you mean?"

Nova stood to her full height; the wind lifted her brown hair around her shoulders and caused her pink sash to snap in the wind. She swallowed, feeling the necklace around her neck seem to tighten almost choking her. Picking up her keyblade, she raised it into the air and her hand lit up pale blue. In a quick light show, her keyblade transformed and took on a completely different look. What was once an ordinary keyblade with a blue handle and a blade attached transformed into the most beautiful keyblade Aqua had ever seen.

The handle was a beautiful blue with a purple gem in the center. On the base of the blade held a beautiful crystal surrounded with golden wings. The edge of the keyblade was a dark purple orb that was encircled by a beautifully gold encrusted sun and crescent moon. When the light diminished from transforming the keyblade, Nova's outfit changed as well.

Before, she wore her brown shorts jumper that she favored in this new life. Now, her clothes had been transformed into white battle armor that held the same purple gem from her keyblade in the center below her waist. The brown boots that covered most of her legs were replaced with battle boots of the same color as her body armor. She looked every bit the fierce keyblade warrior of legend that has lived hundreds, or thousands of years as the only survivor.

Centered upon her forehead was a small heart, displaying her fate as protector of Kingdom Hearts.

"ARRRHHHHHHHHHH!"

Nova and Aqua turned in the direction of the scream and saw Terra.

"No, Terra!"

It was too late. He already summoned his ship and was riding up the cliff's wall.

* * *

 ** _In you and I there's a new land  
Angel's in flight  
My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah_**

Nova stabbed her keyblade into the dirt in front of her and kneeled behind it. Whispering a quick chant, she was enveloped in a white light and disappeared, reappearing next to Terra on top of the cliff.

"Xehanort!"

"Terra!" Nova felt relief at seeing him still alive but it was short lived when she saw both Xehanort and Vanitas nearby.

"Nova, get out of here. It's too dangerous," Terra yelled, throwing his body in front of Nova's to protect her.

"Terra, listen to me. The only reason you can't control the darkness in your heart is because it… because it belongs to me." Nova whispered the last part, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Terra turned to look at her, clearly confused by what she meant.

"What do you mean, the darkness is yours?"

Nova grabbed his hands and smiled.

"Remember when I healed you when you were young," Nova asked, rhetorically.

"I know you do, but do you remember exactly how it happened?"

Terra shook his head, unsure where she was going with this.

"Terra, when I healed you, the darkness that I had was transferred to you. You had both of our darkness in your heart this whole time. It was never about you being weak or anything like that. You are strong and it's my fault that you ever had to deal with this," Nova choked the last part, praying that he wouldn't hate her for the mistake she made ten years ago.

"I need to take it back," Nova said reluctantly, dropping her gaze to her feet.

Terra just stared at the woman, then realizing Xehanort and Vanitas were still nearby, he withdrew his hands from hers and turned back to the real threat, shielding her with his arm.

"Nova, I don't care if this darkness belongs to you or me. I will defeat both of them and keep you from being tainted with it again. The light in your heart is what kept me going all this time. I can't live without you, Nova."

Xehanort had been silent through the whole conversation, but began chuckling after Terra's comment.

"Yes, that was why it was so easy for you to make the journey over the unseen wall that divides darkness and light."

Nova felt her heart clench as she was once again reminded of her egregious error when Terra was young. She knew she would never forgive herself if she didn't save Terra and there was only one way to do it. She gazed up at him, tears flowing down her cheeks and she pulled his arm, turning him towards her and kissed him before he could recover from the shock. Terra's eyes flew open in surprise but, disregarding the severity of the situation, he couldn't help returning her passionate kiss.

Xehanort looked displeasingly towards the young couple and quietly gave Vanitas orders to dispose of Nova but before he could make a move, she brought her hand over Terra's heart and time seemed to stop. Darkness circled both Nova and Terra as she was slowly absorbing it back into her body. Screams of agony filled the air as both of them collapsed to their knees in pain. After what felt like an eternity, the darkness swirled around Nova and blasted Terra away from her.

"NOVA!" Terra screamed, scrambling to return to her.

Nova's eyes transitioned between red and black as she had finally taken all the darkness in Terra that she could and trapped it into her own body. Her holy armor of light faded away and her clothes reverted back to her brown jumper. Clutching her hand to her chest, she stared into Terra's eyes as he came running for her and whispered a final, "I love you" to him before she summoned her keyblade. Positioning the keyblade over her heart ready to plunge it through her chest, Terra screams for her to stop.

"Nova, please, stop! You don't have to do this." Terra noticed the fear in her eyes and slowly took a few tentative steps towards her, preparing to disarm her.

Nova smiled at Terra despite the grave situation.

"Terra, this was never your destiny. I was supposed to die in the war and this is the only way to correct that."

"Yes, you were supposed to die here all those years ago. You should thank me for giving you that star shard and bringing you into Terra's life," Xehanort laughed manically, watching his plans unfolding exactly the way he meant them to.

"Now, Vanitas!"

Vanitas disappeared from his spot near Xehanort and materialized behind Nova with his keyblade outstretched. In one swift motion, he sliced his blade through her back leaving a deep wound, causing her to fall face down into the dirt.

"NOOO!"

Terra ran to Nova and knelt down to pick her up.

"Terra… I-I'm sorry."

Terra shook his head, trying to shake away the hot tears filling his eyes, making Nova turn blurry. Anger like nothing Terra has ever felt before filled him. The tiny spec of darkness left in Terra's heart began to enlarge as his rage and hatred towards Xehanort and Vanitas increased with each heartbeat. Darkness once again fills his body and Xehanort smiles.

"You see, Terra. Nova was unable to take away all the darkness in your heart because if she did, you would end up just like Ventus did when I brought him to Eraqus. I guess she didn't have the heart to turn you into an empty shell."

"Nova, just hang on a little longer, please," Terra begged, ignoring Xehanort's comment while lowering his beloved softly to the ground.

Facing Xehanort and Vanitas, he summoned his keyblade to his hand and fell into his fighting stance. Xehanort smiled and turned to Vanitas.

"Go take what Ventus owes you. And take Aqua's life."

Terra gasped as Vanitas started to run off the cliff and began chasing him only to be stopped by Xehanort.

"You see how powerless you are to save them, including your precious Nova? Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you!"

"You will pay, Xehanort!"

Terra let his anger rise and darkness began to encircle his body, fueling his desire to kill Xehanort.

"Yes, boy, that's it! More! Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"

With that, Terra became enraged and let darkness consume him before he plunged into battle with Xehanort.


	9. Unforgiving and Unwilling

**_When we are older you'll understand  
It's enough when I say so  
And maybe some things are that simple_**

Xehanort, exhausted from fighting Terra, falls to his knees while leaning on his keyblade for support. As Terra comes closer, the ground begins to shake and Xehanort grins, noticing the light shooting into the sky behind Terra.

"There, you see?"

Terra hesitates to turn his attention away from Xehanort, but eventually turns and notices the light.

"The _x_ -blade has been forged!"

"Ven!"

"And now, Terra, it is time for the final union!"

Xehanort lifts his keyblade to his chest and pulls out his heart before he sends it to Terra to merge with a younger and stronger body.

"I swore I would survive and be there to see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War!"

"Terra, watch out!"

Nova stands on shaky legs and stumbles to Terra and activates his suit plate, transforming his clothes into his armor, but it was a second too late. Xehanort's old body began to dematerialize as Terra began to shed his armor and, to Nova's despair, revealing his white hair and yellow eyes.

"This heart belongs again to darkness."

Summoning the keyblade that belong to the old Xehanort, he turns to take in the weakened Nova behind him.

"Terra, you can still fight him. You have so much light in your heart," Nova cries, putting her hands on his chest.

Xehanort's eyes drink in Nova, watching the blood drip down her body and trail across her clothes. Nova continues to plea with Terra to come back and fight against Xehanort. Finally, he raises his hand and cups her cheek, softly whispering her name. Nova's eyes widen, hope filling her as she saw he was winning against the evil man. Xehanort smirks, raises his hand to summon his keyblade and then plunges it through Nova's chest.

"Love is weakness. Your part in this orchestrated plot is over."

With those words, he pulls his keyblade free and shakes the blood from it. Falling to her knees, she takes one last breath before she drops to the ground; her blood covering the dirt beneath her. As he begins to walk away, the area encircles him within a Will's Cage and when he turns, he sees Terra in his battle armor.

"Your body submits, your heart succumbs- so why does your mind resist!?"

Terra rises to his feet and charges at Xehanort with a brutal attack. At the last second, he dodges out of reach and retaliates before Terra can regain his footing. His life begins to quickly deplete as Xehanort's attacks never cease until Terra is able to quickly slip from his range. As he attempts to recover, Xehanort thrusts his keyblade in an upward motion and the ground rises up to heave Terra in the air. Before he can fall back to the ground, Xehanort launches darkness orbs at Terra; luckily he was able to glide away in time.

As soon as he swiftly dodged the last orb, he sliced his keyblade across Xehanort's chest and released a furry of damaging attacks until finally, Xehanort dropped to his knees before finally collapsing onto his back. Terra drops to the ground after Xehanort and suddenly a bright light begins to envelop the battlefield.

"Nova, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I love you."

As he whispered those words, tears freely dripped from his chin and the white light engulfed his body as well as Xehanort's. The last thing Terra saw was a brief glimpse of Ventus, followed by Aqua, and then Nova, with a bright smile full of love on her face.

"Aqua, Ventus, Nova. One day I will set this right."

The light from Kingdom Hearts begins to fade as Aqua and Ventus successfully defeat Vanitas below and destroy the _x_ -blade.

* * *

 ** _Where fears and lies melt away  
Music will tie  
What's left of me what's left of me now_**

Terra's Lingering Will wandered the grand emptiness of the keyblade graveyard for a time too long for him to measure. What was most puzzling for him was how hours felt like days and a few minutes felt like only seconds. All he knew was he was alone on this godforsaken world and he couldn't remember how or why he was here. His hand was wrapped around a keyblade while his raging heart reminded him there was a reason he was supposed to use it; for what purpose was what he was unsure of.

He would methodically clomp one foot on the ground in front of the other in an attempt to find another person, creature, or even a plant that would suffice to prove he wasn't alone on this deserted wasteland. After a while, he just kept walking until he would drop to the ground and fall fast sleep against a rock in exhaustion. The years ticked away at a painstakingly slow rate and the only time this monotonous schedule altered was one day when three strangers arrived. Noticing the power surge caused him to stop in his tracks, his heart strumming in his chest at the prospect of not being alone. With a flick of his wrist, he disappeared in a gust of wind.

A small whirlwind formed in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy in front of their arrival spot and when the dust disappeared, there was only an armored stranger staring at them through his tinted helm. For a moment, there was absolute silence until the armored man began to whisper.

"Aqua…Ven…Nova."

As he spoke those three names, Sora hesitantly summoned his keyblade by his side to prepare for the possibility at an attack. As soon as his keyblade was in his hand, Terra recoiled as if he was slapped and instantly felt the fog lift from his eyes.

"A keylade? I know you, but you are not the boy I chose. Who are you? You emit a power that is familiar to me."

Sora glanced behind him at his comrades with a confused look on his face.

"Xeha…nort? Xehanort! I will make you pay for killing Nova!"

Sora stiffened at the mention of Xehanort and felt the need to ask his own questions but it did no good since Terra instantly charged at the young boy with one mission on his mind. His purpose was known and his mind was clear; he needed to enact revenge on Xehanort for killing Nova. Sora tried to reason with him but to no avail and since Terra would just continuously attack the young keyblade wielder with such an incredible tenacity, it left no room for conversation. Donald and Goofy would coordinate to attack Terra while he was distracted, only to be knocked away by a surge attack that sent his body spiraling across the ground directly at Sora, foiling their attempts to save him from the assault. He was able to evade just in time but only to put him directly in the path of Terra's next attack.

"Sora, lookout!"

Donald and Goofy attempted to warn Sora about Terra's keyblade whip, but it came too late to be avoided. Terra's keyblade slashed the air around Sora and successfully picked him up and tossed his body across the desert. For a moment, Sora kneeled on the ground trying to calm his erratic breaths and heartbeat. He noticed Terra's body closing the gap between them and stood to his full height to resummons his keyblade.

Once Terra came close enough, he pointed his keyblade at Sora and waved his hand over the hilt, transforming it into a cannon. Sora's eyes grew wide and he jumped to evade the attack and glided around his enemy's body to attack him from behind. When Terra fell to his knees, Sora motioned to Donald and Goofy to come assist him and they ganged up and threw an onslaught of attacks his way, successfully bringing the lingering sentiment down.

"That's it, your power. That's what I felt within you. It felt just like Nova's," Terra said with resolve while slowly rising to his feet.

Striking his keyblade into the ground, Terra knelt behind it and in a gust of wind like the one he appeared in before; he disappeared from their sight to resume his life of wandering the battleground. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at the spot he disappeared from before they began to scratch their heads in bewilderment.

"Who's Nova?" they all asked rhetorically at the same time.

With a shrug, they boarded their gummy ship and flew into the sky onwards to the next world that needed saving, unaware of Terra's eyes watching them ascend. Keyblade in hand, he started walking around the desert again trying to count the minutes as they ticked his life away.

"Nova…"


	10. Shining Brightly

**_Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before_**

 _SEVERAL YEARS LATER ~ AFTER THE FINAL BATTLE_

Sora, Riku, and everyone else stood around the fallen body of Terra, hoping against hope that they had finally beaten Xehanort and restored Terra's heart, eradicating the evil threat. After what seemed like a lifetime, Terra's eyelids finally begin to flutter and when he opens them, everyone exhaled the breath they were holding because staring at everyone was Terra's sapphire eyes. Suddenly, an array of celebratory cries is all that could be heard in the desert.

"Yeah!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"We did it!"

"Gwarsh, we did it! A-huck!"

Terra looked around at everyone briefly before Ventus and Aqua ran over and threw their arms around him.

"Terra, you're back," Ventus shouted while laughing cheerfully.

Aqua wrapped her arms around both boys and tears of happiness could be seen traveling down her smiling cheeks.

Terra's enthusiasm to be back was short lived as he peered around at the rest of the elated onlookers and found one particular person was missing.

"Where's Nova?"

Everyone looked at each other with nervousness. Without another word, the group parted slowly and behind them was an elegant keyblade stabbed into the dirt, which beckoned Terra to come closer. Unwrapping himself from Ventus and Aqua's arms, he stood slowly on shaky legs and walked closer to the keyblade. When he reached out to touch the hilt, he was unexpectedly bombarded with Nova's past memories.

Multiple scenes shuffled through his mind as if they were his own flashbacks. He saw Nova's brother ruffle her hair as she smiled up at him with a toothy grin. After a flash, the scene changed and he saw her in the middle of some heated keyblade matches between her and her friends. He even saw snippets of the keyblade war and how utterly defeated Nova was when she watched not only her friends be killed, but her brother's murder as well.

These events caused Terra's heart to constrict but the ones that tore it apart were the memories of him and her together. He saw when she healed him when he was eight, when they first met the second time almost a decade later, and their first kiss. However, the one memory Terra wanted to block from his mind the most was when Xehanort, in his body, killed Nova right where he now stood. Nevertheless, the final memory that replayed for him was within the Mysterious Tower with Nova speaking to Yen Sid. She held a bundle of cloth in her arms and was gazing down lovingly at it.

 _"_ _He's so precious, Yen Sid. I wish Terra was here to see him," Nova whispered, her voice cracking at the end, laced with emotion._

 _"_ _I think I'm going to name him Sora."_

 _Nova touched his forehead with her index finger and a blue light emitted beneath her touch and quickly dissipated._

 _"_ _Now, when you're older you'll be able to take care of yourself, my little bright sky."_

With a bright flash of light, Terra was jolted away from the keylade as soon as those words left her mouth and fell to the dirt a few feet away. When he opened his eyes, Nova was standing where her keyblade had been, only this time she had a light blue aura surrounding her body.

"Nova," Terra choked, running towards her to embrace her.

Nova smiled softly but it was short lived as Terra passed right through her since she was only an apparition. Turning to face Terra, she sighed despondently.

"Terra, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could defeat Xehanort. I'm sorry that you had to go through all this because of me."

Nova looked down at her hands, her face twisting in regret. Terra could only stare at her, his heart slowly breaking at his realization.

"Are you… You're not coming back, are you?"

Nova looked into Terra's eyes and bit her lip, shaking her head sadly. Terra felt his world crumbling and when he tried to grab her hands, his fingers went through hers like she was made of air. Terra instantly roared as he pleaded his heart out to the world that he wanted to hold her one last time. For once the universe listened and when he tried reaching his hand out to touch her face, his fingertips felt the soft brush of her delicate skin.

Realizing he could touch her, he instantly grabbed her behind her neck and kissed her with all the passion he could muster. Their tears flowed down their cheeks and mingled together from the contact. He wanted her to know how much he needed her, missed her, but most importantly, he wanted her to know just how much he loved her. After a few moments, Nova pulled away from the kiss, leaving Terra cold from the loss of contact with her skin.

"Terra, I came to tell you something. I kept it from you because Yen Sid told me this was the only way to save you. I'm sorry you never knew and so much time has passed already."

Looking behind Terra, she spotted Sora amongst the rest of the group. Instantly, her eyes teared up as she stared at her now grown son.

"Terra… Sora is your son."

Everyone surrounding Sora gasped in shock as they took in her revelation and Sora's eyes widened as his brain tried to comprehend what she said.

"What? How can he be my son? He's too old for that to be true, Nova."

For the first time since before she died, Nova giggled. She would miss Terra with all her heart but this chance to say goodbye was more than she could ever hope for.

"All you have to do is speak to Yen Sid and he can explain everything. I just need you to promise me something, Terra," Nova said, once again turning serious.

Terra didn't trust his voice to stay steady so instead he nodded.

"I want you to move on."

Silence was her only answer for what felt like forever until finally Terra found his voice again.

"What?"

Nova stroked his cheek and bit her lip before she continued her train of thought.

"I love you, Terra and I will forever love you. I know that you love me, too, but we both know that I'm still dead and you need to let me go and live your life. You have a son to get to know and I want you to live a beautifully meaningful life now that your heart is back to where it belongs."

"My-," Terra chokes, but he clears the emotional obstruction and forces himself to finish his sentence.

"You're my heart."

Nova kisses Terra's cheek before whispering into his ear. He closes his eyes as more tears fall to the dirt and the weight of the world feels like it just fell on his shoulders. Nova glanced behind his shoulder and beamed at Sora.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you when you were only a baby. I love you Sora, and I'm so proud of you. I wish I could've been there for you but, I thought I could save him," Nova said, motioning towards Terra.

Sora scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly since he was still mostly confused. Nova turned back to Terra and reached up to encircle his neck with her arms, hugging him closer to kiss him one last time.

"You have a life waiting for you. Don't waste it wallowing in your pain," she whispered.

As those last words echoed in his mind, Terra felt Nova's body vanish and when he opened his eyes, she was gone from his life as quickly as she fell into it. When he looked into the sky, he saw a meteor shower like the same one all those years ago. Closing his eyes, Terra made a wish that he hoped with all his heart would come true.

 _Please bring Nova back to me._


	11. Epilogue

**_Ooh...  
My fears...my lies...  
Melt away...  
I..._**

 _EPILOGUE_

After everything settled down after the final battle, a majority of the group found themselves back home with some pretty dynamic tales to tell. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy went back to the kingdom and somewhat forcibly dragged Queen Minnie and Daisy on a much needed and much deserved vacation to Disney Town.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi made their way back to Destiny Island to finally enjoy their youth for the first time. Terra also came with Sora to the island and spent as much time with him as he could since there were so many years lost, but when Terra spoke to his son, he was constantly reminded of Nova and it made his heart ache. He tried to hide it from his son and spent most of his time grieving for his lost love alone, but Sora knew it would be a long time before his father recovered from Nova's death.

When a few months passed after the final battle, Sora learned from Aqua and Ventus that Terra had never become an actual keyblade master. Since he was one himself, he strived to bond with his newly found father by taking his mind off everything that had happened and begged him to train together. It took a little convincing from a few of their friends, but Terra eventually agreed.

In just a short time, Terra was able to take the Mark of Mastery exam with Yen Sid and he passed with flying colors, surprising only himself. After a very long and arduous talk with the wizard, he was finally told about the events that happened leading up to Nova's death. With his spirits lifted somewhat, he decided to travel back to the Land of Departure and rebuild his home; finally living the life Nova asked him to. Aqua and Ventus were all too happy to join him and before anyone knew it, five years flew by in the blink of an eye.

Terra had finally accepted Nova's death, but it was partly due to his newfound duties as a keyblade instructor since it took up so much of his time. He decided when the Land of Departure was finished being rebuilt that he wanted to follow in Master Eraqus' steps and dedicate his life to making a difference in other people's lives the way his father did. Before long, it was well known throughout all the worlds that Terra's school of mastery was the best place to become a keyblade wielder, especially since the founders were the heroes Aqua, Ventus, and himself.

One afternoon, Terra was standing on the cliff edge right where he sat the last night he spent with Nova and looked at the clouds swirling in the sky. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was so engrossed in the sunset and his thoughts that he didn't notice someone had come up behind him. The wind picked up just slightly, rustling his clothes and lifting a sweet scent to his nose that reminded him so much of Nova. A smile lit up his features as he recalled her beautiful face; a face he hoped to never forget. Suddenly, a voice that he could only remember from a distant memory called out to him.

"Terra?"

 **THE END**

 _"Strength of heart can carry you through the hardest of trials."_ \- Terra

* * *

Thank you very much for reading this story. It almost took me a year to write, but I had this idea when I played the remix version and I fell in love with it. I'm sorry there are some choppy parts. I was originally going to add more to the story to show more interactions between Nova/Terra/Aqua/Ventus but I just had no motivation to add them so I just left them out. I wanted to get this out as soon as I could since I just started my classes and I hoped you like it. I really am sorry that there's not more to it or some things may be confusing, so feel free to message me if you have any questions. Also, there are points that I took a few liberties with. I appreciate your understanding and thanks again for reading!

P.S. I had inspiration by a few images for this story. If you would like to see them, feel free to message me. Thank you.


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